BLACK COMMITTED TO SPEAKING IRISH

Folk legend MARY BLACK is committed to returning to the Irish studies she hated as a child - so she can speak fluently in her native tongue. The SONG FOR IRELAND singer has bought a holiday home in a traditional part of County Kerry to help further her bid to speak Gaellic. She explains, "My ambition is to speak it fluently, and that's why I've chosen to have a holiday home in an Irish-speaking area. "I love the language, and I love the fact that it's alive and kicking." But Black admits she hasn't always been fond of her native tongue. She adds, "When I was growing up, it was taught through fear, so you grew up hating it."

17/03/2007 02:17